Hello,
I started doing the Atkins diet March 9th 2012. I am a 5'8 27 year old male and at that time I was 255lbs. I remember the diet being hard for the first two weeks, but I stuck with it and managed to lose weight while still attending college. In about ten months I had lost 77lbs with barley any exercise and now I'm a full 178lbs in Ketosis.

Yes this sounds fantastic, I am in much better shape and much healthier than before but for the past 5 months I have been in a constant stall. Even with the massive weight loss and I am still a good 25-30lbs overweight and it will not budge.

For the past 5 months I've tried everything I can think of to break the stall. I went back into induction several times, cut out caffeine, cut out diet drinks and sweeteners, added a bunch of cardio, and started lifting heavy. Nothing works and trust me, I know what to eat and what not to eat.

I got discouraged and have cheated more than usual, once being a whole week, but I just jump up 10lbs really quick and lose it off really quick once back in ketosis, but the scale nor the tape measure will move. I also noticed I can gain up to 2 inches on my waist after doing a cheat meal (water expansion?)

I was reading about the Fat Fast method and I think I will give it a try. I think my body might have just giving up on low carb. Maybe it has just adjusted since I have been on it far longer than I wanted to be. I know you can never go back to the way you ate before, but I planed on switching to low calorie & low sugar instead of low carb. My reason for this is on the days I cheated, I could run & lift much harder than I thought possible. I was impressed by the energy and was able to grow muscle pretty quickly. Kinda like the body builders who "carb up" for a couple days, then eat low carb the rest of the week. Lifting hard 3 days a week and gaining very little can also be discouraging.

If there are any veterans out there that can assist me I would greatly appreciate it.

I am a bit of a newbie but I wonder if you may be doing too much cardio.
Also you say you know what to eat, but still might be good to post some typical meal plans.
Some really smart people about. A poster called Trillex ?? is really knowledge about weight lifting so perhaps she can chime in here.

It's very normal not to be able to get down to the weight you would prefer. You have done GREAT and don't let this little bit discourage you. your main job is NOT TO GAIN THIS BACK. you know how likely that is over the next few years, right? keep a watch on it and don't let that happen. every time you gain and lose and regain it messes more with your metabolism, and you will really regret it when you are older.

best of luck on the last bit, but please be proud of where you are and don't beat yourself up if the last pounds don't come off any time soon!

__________________Often I don't come back to read threads where I've posted. If you want me to see something, please send me a private message. Thanks!

After reviewing my eating habits I did noticed that I have been staying away from fatty foods and eating too much protein. I plan to add more fat back into the diet and try this out for at least 4 more weeks. If no more results follow, I shall try something else. I can honestly say that I am happy that I did the Atkins diet. But, I don't believe it is something someone should live on. When I did cheat and eat carbs, I had a lot more energy to work out and I just felt better and more focused throughout my day.

Also, I actually have added more fat back into the diet for the past 3 days. It did throw me into a really dark ketosis on the sticks that I haven't seen in a very long time. But! Still no weight loss.
Sometimes I wonder if you can show ketone results on the sticks just by eating fat vs burning it.

Congratulations on your loss thus far!!!!! You have done fantastic. All while attending college. The stresses of being a young adult while socializing can be a killer so Kudoos to you. I am no pro but I'm sure someone can help you break your stall here but DON'T give up. Keep doing what your doing. Your body is probably getting used to it's new weight and resesting it self. If you have health Insurance, visit your Dr. and have all your blood work done etc.... They will probably be happy to see also the progress you have made and may have some suggestions. My NP actuaully supports a LC lifesyle and she has lost 40 lbs on it and has now changing to vegetarian now that she is at her goal weight.

I think sometimes just working at maintaining can really help the body relax. It may be fighting restriction. I would work on simply maintaining for the next month or so, with the goal of restarting weight loss after a 60 day break. Maintenance is hard! Lots of people have benefited from trying this.

But, I don't believe it is something someone should live on. When I did cheat and eat carbs, I had a lot more energy to work out and I just felt better and more focused throughout my day.

Why do you believe this? I follow Dr. Bernstein's Diabetes Solution which is much like Atkins except he limits protein. Ok, he limits fats to, but I just ignore that and follow Atkins and, unlike Atkins which says you can add fruits in (if you want at some point), Bernstein says it's a nono. Plus carbs are always restricted to 10 at a meal. So Bernstein is, in some ways, even more restrictive than Atkins and it is a *lifelong* WOE.

You can get all the nutrients you need in the protein and non-starchy green vegies. I've been working out now for a couple weeks, doing some aerobic and some weights (about 1.5 hours per day) and I have plenty of energy. In fact, I have more energy than I know what to do with. The total opposite of what happened when I was eating a diet higher in carbs.

Congratulations on your loss thus far!!!!! You have done fantastic. All while attending college. The stresses of being a young adult while socializing can be a killer so Kudoos to you. I am no pro but I'm sure someone can help you break your stall here but DON'T give up. Keep doing what your doing. Your body is probably getting used to it's new weight and resesting it self. If you have health Insurance, visit your Dr. and have all your blood work done etc.... They will probably be happy to see also the progress you have made and may have some suggestions. My NP actuaully supports a LC lifesyle and she has lost 40 lbs on it and has now changing to vegetarian now that she is at her goal weight.

Thanks! I actually thought it was easier in college because I had more time and when I didn't pack lunches I would eat a local Giant Eagle salad bar for lunch. I also quit smoking at that time as well, I was really motivated.

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I think sometimes just working at maintaining can really help the body relax. It may be fighting restriction. I would work on simply maintaining for the next month or so, with the goal of restarting weight loss after a 60 day break. Maintenance is hard! Lots of people have benefited from trying this.

I am taking a break from low carb for a month or so. I will be doing a low calorie diet while still cutting out simple carbs, sugar, corn, and bread products. I think I will benefit in my cardio workouts more if I can eat more fruits.

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What kind of food do you eat? I got out of a month + stall adding 1/2 avocado and extra veggies...I find it hard to keep my fat below my protein intake anymore.

When I get closer to my goal weight, I'm probably going to the TKD. (Targeted Ketogenic Diet) Carb load on weekend or one day, and LC the whole week. I lift hard 5 days a week.

Good Luck!!

I was eating mostly meat and veggies. I then started to add more fatty foods like avocados, macadamia nuts, and tuna/chick salad with double mayo. This got me into a super deep Ketosis, but still no "fat loss". I keep records with a tape measure as well and I don't always rely on the scale. I often wonder if you will show ketone results on those sticks just by eating fat vs burning fat.

I was also doing the low carb diet through the week and then carbing(cheating) on the weekend. This helped me maintain, but not lose any weight.

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Why do you believe this? I follow Dr. Bernstein's Diabetes Solution which is much like Atkins except he limits protein. Ok, he limits fats to, but I just ignore that and follow Atkins and, unlike Atkins which says you can add fruits in (if you want at some point), Bernstein says it's a nono. Plus carbs are always restricted to 10 at a meal. So Bernstein is, in some ways, even more restrictive than Atkins and it is a *lifelong* WOE.

You can get all the nutrients you need in the protein and non-starchy green vegies. I've been working out now for a couple weeks, doing some aerobic and some weights (about 1.5 hours per day) and I have plenty of energy. In fact, I have more energy than I know what to do with. The total opposite of what happened when I was eating a diet higher in carbs.

When I first started the diet I remember this "rush of energy" you speak of. That is long gone for me, even after I get back into Ketosis. I think the diet is great for losing a bunch of weight really quick, but I don't think its something I can live on. Besides the weight loss I have noticed other benefits such as being fuller longer and never being bloated or gassy. But lately I have just felt run down on this diet, I think the stall has just kicked my ass and now I just feel like I am torturing myself. Hopefully my break from the diet will have me returning with a new outlook on it. My main goal is to maintain at this point.

I am taking a break from low carb for a month or so. I will be doing a low calorie diet while still cutting out simple carbs, sugar, corn, and bread products. I think I will benefit in my cardio workouts more if I can eat more fruits.

You might be interested in reading The Art and Science of Low Carbohydrate Performance by Drs. Steve Phinney and Jeff Volek. For most people, athletic performance can be maintained at a high level on a well-formulated ketogenic diet.

I just read an interesting article about how too much cardio can be bad for you, especially someone who is already in shape. I don't know how much stock I put into it, but it says that for weight loss resistance training really is the best.

My sister is a certified personal trainer and nutrition expert and her advice has been to work more with resistance and weights than cardio (although she does think that cardio is important for cardiovascular health). Your body will burn more fat while you are sedentary with more muscle, as it takes more energy to maintain muscle than it does fat.

Also, the reason you feel more alert when you let yourself eat more carbs is most likely because you are getting quick energy instead of your body burning what it has. So while this is a good short term solution (which is why body builders do it), it is not a great long term solution, as your body will be burning the carbs you are eating instead of the stored energy on your body.

Have you considered the possibility that this weight you can't seem to drop could be excess skin? I know a couple of people who can't reach their ideal weight as quickly as they thought because they have to wait for their skin to shrink (which is encouraged by resistance training).

If you have cheated on the weekends, and then when your loss slowed down, kept changing things up, you haven't been in consistent ketosis, and therefore have not gotten the benefits of being keto-adapted, which include better energy (not the quick carb energy, but sustained and fueled by your own body). There are many of us who do quite well working out while staying in ketosis. I have never needed to "carb up" before heavy lifting sessions.

If eating high fat, moderate protein, low carb isn't sustainable for you right now, that's your call, but it is definitely healthy long-term.

You've been doing so many things, I suggest you pick one and be consistent with it for six weeks. No cheating, no tweaking. You've lost a lot of weight, and you haven't given your body a chance to let to of the rest (if there is more to lose). Sometimes after losing a chunk, the body has to recover for a while before letting to of more. It's not uncommon.

Hello, and congrats on your weight loss!
Perhaps the amount of weight training you've included in your regimen is masking fat loss. We are all familiar with the fact that muscle weighs more than fat. The results of your measuring could also give you skewed stats if you're bulking up. Id say the scale and tape measure may not matter so much at this stage of your weight loss endeavor.